Utah Headlines

Deseret News

• How religious freedom's PR crisis affects the Equality Act debate - A recent survey found that 44% of U.S. adults believe their rights are threatened by religious liberty claims
• Healthcare in America is failing the people who need it most. It's time for change - The U.S. would do well to follow the lead of other developed nations and begin working to envision and create its own unique iteration of universal health care.
• The untold story of President Nelson's selection of counselors - President Nelson noted that "upon my demise, he (Oaks) is the next president of the church. "That's the kindest thing I could do to the church and for him to give that exposure."
• Bill restricting governor, mayor, health officials' emergency powers is nearly through Utah Legislature - The bill has been the subject of heavy negotiation between House and Senate leadership, as well as Gov. Spencer Cox and the Utah Department of Health.
• Vaccine eligibility drops to 50 and older as Salt Lake, other counties move to moderate risk - All Utahns 50 and older, as well as those with some less severe medical conditions, will be able to start scheduling COVID-19 vaccination shots Monday.
• Sen. Mitt Romney backs effort to slow down 'massively misdirected' COVID-19 relief bill - The Utah Republican also plans to introduce a number of amendments to the bill, including one that would direct billions of dollars to state and local government to only those that need pandemic-related assistance.
• Protests at person's home off-limits as Legislature restricts demonstrators - HB291 would make "targeted residential picketing" - a protest "specifically directed or focused toward a residence, or one or more occupants of the residence" - a class B misdemeanor, which is punishable under Utah law by up to six months in jail or fines of up to $1,000.

Salt Lake Tribune

• LGBTQ students at BYU light up the 'Y' in rainbow colors - The event was meant to mark the anniversary of when the university clarified that same-sex romantic behavior was "not compatible" with its rules.
• Activist arrested while livestreaming SLC homeless encampment cleanup - A Hopi activist who works with Salt Lake City's unsheltered population was taken into custody Thursday night in an arrest that he livestreamed online.
• Gov. Spencer Cox says Utahns age 50 and over can sign up for COVID-19 vaccine - The expansion will mean 700,000 more Utahns now can be vaccinated, "a huge addition to eligibility.
• Push for in-person classes gains final OK in Utah Legislature - The proposal would push colleges and universities to hold a certain number of in-person classes this fall.
• Government's use of facial recognition software regulated under bill headed to governor - There's currently nothing in Utah code that limits the use of facial recognition technology, though it's routinely used to identify criminals and prevent fraud.
• Salt Lake County leaders denounce councilman's 'culture wars' comments, affirm commitment to diversity - Salt Lake County Council member David Alvord took to Facebook to claim the "left" wants a world filled with people with the same "light brown" skin tone who are all bisexual, but also neither male nor female.

Other

• Salt Lake County, five others to move to "moderate" transmission phase (KSL) - Nearly a year after COVID-19 first arrived in Utah, six counties in the state, including the state's most populated, Salt Lake County.
• How Utah plans to ensure underrepresented groups can get COVID-19 vaccine (KSL) - Utah leaders launched a new "vaccine distribution road map" to ensure all groups within the state have access to the COVID-19 vaccine as the state continues to expand parameters regarding who qualifies to receive it.
• Forget COVID-19? CDC offers tips on surviving zombie apocalypse (FOX 13) - In case the walking dead take over the planet, the CDC advises those still alive prepare as they would for a "real emergency," which is kind of the point of the entire post.
• IN FOCUS Discussion: Should Dixie State University change its name? (ABC4) - Some background on why the name change was before the legislature and arguments for and against.

COVID Corner

• Texas Gov. Abbott blames Covid spread on immigrants, criticizes Biden's 'Neanderthal' comment (CNBC) - Abbott claimed the Biden administration has been "releasing immigrants in South Texas that have been exposing Texans to Covid."
• Popular Drug Does Not Alleviate Mild Covid-19 Symptoms, Study Finds (New York Times) - Ivermectin, a drug typically used to treat parasitic worms, has been prescribed widely during the coronavirus pandemic, but rigorous data has been lacking.
• These countries had a higher risk of death from COVID-19 than others (Deseret News) - Countries that have a high population of overweight people saw a higher risk of death associated with the novel coronavirus.
• COVID-19 does something to your immune system (Deseret News) - Scientists recently said the novel coronavirus creates a reaction in your immune system that is hard to recover from.
• States shift to vaccinate those in their 50s against Covid-19 as supply expands (CNN) - "When you're talking about some states moving on to vaccinating people over 50, that's a positive sign that they have saturated the previous priority group and are expanding -- so that's all good news and that will happen very rapidly and naturally with the expansion of supply chain as well."
• Covid tongue? Why new Covid-19 symptoms keep popping up. (Vox) - Scientists say they still have more to learn about the symptoms of Covid-19 infections, long Covid, and the new variants.

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National Headlines

• Trump appointee arrested in connection with Capitol riot (Politico) - Frederico Klein worked for a time in the State Department's Office of Brazilian and Southern Cone Affairs before being transferred to the office that handles Freedom of Information Act requests.
• State Department aide appointed by Trump stormed the Capitol, beat police with a riot shield, FBI says (Washington Post) - Federal agents arrested Federico G. Klein, 42, a former State Department aide, on multiple felony charges related to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. He is the first member of the previous administration arrested in relation to the insurrection.
• A guide to what you can expect to get from the $1.9 trillion Senate stimulus (CNN) - Senators narrowed the eligibility for stimulus checks and removed a provision to increase the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.
• Opinion: Why Democrats may look back on the $1.9 trillion Covid relief bill with regret (CNN) - Because this is the first major legislative initiative of Biden's presidency, the Democrats' unwillingness to compromise may have poisoned the well when it comes to future bipartisan action.
• Cuomo Aides Rewrote Nursing Home Report to Hide Higher Death Toll (New York Times) - The "intervention" in June was the earliest action yet known in an effort by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo that concealed how many nursing home residents died in the pandemic.
• Capitol Police Call For Extension Of National Guard Help (NPR) - U.S. Capitol Police requested a 60-day extension for a portion of the National Guard troops currently in Washington, D.C., Thursday as the threat of a possible attack from militia groups looms over the city.
• Texas family detention centers expected to transform into rapid-processing hubs (Texas Tribune) - The Ellis-Island-style hubs that will screen migrant parents and children with a goal of releasing them into the United States within 72 hours.
• Biden limits eligibility for stimulus payments under pressure from moderate Senate Democrats (Washington Post) - Change comes as Senate prepares to move forward on Biden's $1.9 trillion relief bill.
• Biden celebrates House passing HR 1, Dems' campaign bill, vows work to 'refine and advance' legislation (Fox News) - Biden called the right to vote "sacred and fundamental," adding that it is "the right from which all of our other rights as Americans spring."
• Senate votes to open debate on Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill (Washington Post) - Democrats move forward without GOP support after flurry of 11th-hour negotiations.
• 'I...really struggled through this one': A Republican senator chose history over oil and gas (Washington Post) - Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voted to confirm Rep. Deb Haaland's nomination as the first Native American interior secretary.
• What is this new voting rights act about? (Deseret News) - The new law would add new requirements that would weaken restrictive voter ID laws, create an automatic voter registration program, and expand early and mail-in voting, among other things.
• Texas is 'open 100%,' but has it really crossed the pandemic finish line? (Deseret News) - The real answer doesn't make for a good campaign slogan. It isn't a politician's dream. It won't make the agitators happy right now, and no, it can't be legislated.

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Policy News

Sen. Romney to serve as ranking member of subcommittee on China
U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) announced his subcommittee assignments for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He will serve as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy. He will also serve on the Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation and on the Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Counterterrorism, which he chaired last Congress.

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Reps Curtis and Smith introduce bipartisan Adoptee Citizenship Act of 2021
Today, Representative John Curtis (R-UT) and Adam Smith (D-WA) introduced the bipartisan Adoptee Citizenship Act of 2021 to provide U.S. citizenship to international adoptees brought to the U.S. as children but were never granted citizenship. The legislation would close a loophole in the Child Citizenship Act of 2000 (CCA), which has prevented internationally-adopted children, who are now adults, from receiving US citizenship despite being raised by American parents.

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Rep. Owens on his opposition to HR1, the "For the People Act"
U.S. Rep. Burgess Owens (UT-04) released the following statement outlining his opposition to the "For the Politicians Act," a massive power grab that weakens election security and keeps Washington bureaucrats in power.

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Reps Moore and Westerman pen op-ed on how productivity protects natural resources
Originally published in the Deseret News Over the past few months, countless constituents have approached us with the same question: How can we ensure that our public lands are managed in a way that works for everyone?

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ACG Utah presents its DealMakers of the Year awards to Ryan and Ashley Smith and Luci
This year, the Association of Corporate Growth (ACG) Utah will celebrate Utah business leaders and their enterprises who not only survived 2020 but were frontrunners in business leadership and growth. With a focus on "Celebrating Utah Deal Makers," ACG Utah will celebrate the recipients of its M&A Award and Growth Capital Award at its virtual 17th Annual DealSource Summit and Ski Event, scheduled March 4-5. M&A Award recipients are Ryan and Ashley Smith for their acquisition of the Utah Jazz; and the recipient of the Growth Capital Award is Lucid. Lucid CEO and Co-founder Karl Sun will accept the award on behalf of Lucid.

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Business Headlines

• Businesses' bid to enforce Covid safety rules stymied by Texas governor's decision to scrap mask mandate (NBC News) - "This could put people in danger," a security expert says.
• China announces 'over 6%' economic growth target, tech plans (Associated Press) - China vowed to make the nation self-reliant in technology and announced plans to tighten control over Hong Kong by reducing the public's role in government.
• Stock futures dip after a steep sell-off on Wall Street amid surging bond yields (CNBC) - All eyes will be on the February jobs report, which is set to be released at 8:30 a.m. ET. Economists expect 210,000 payrolls were added in February, compared to just 49,000 in January, according to Dow Jones.
• US debt projected to balloon to more than double GDP by 2051 (Bloomberg) - The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office warned that by 2051, the United States' debt will skyrocket to 202 percent of its gross domestic product, up from 102 percent this year.
• Google's approach to historically Black schools helps explain why there are few Black engineers in Big Tech (Washington Post) - The company tried to recruit engineers by partnering with HBCUs. Critics say the program exposed how the search giant fell short.
• Costco Sales Rise 15% in Latest Quarter (Wall Street Journal) - E-commerce sales for the warehouse chain rose nearly 75%.

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